Current and Proposed Research Activities
Addressing Health, Environmental,
Economic, and Political Issues Related to
Natural Gas Development
Environmental & Occupational Health, School of Public Health
Buechner Institute for Governance,
The Wirth Chair in Sustainable Development,
School of Public Affairs
Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Systems
College of Engineering & Applied Sciences
Department of Environmental
& Occupational Health
Colorado School of Public Health
Completed Research
Health Impact Assessment for Battlement Mesa, Garfield County
Colorado, Feb. 2011
– A broad assessment of potential health effects associated with possible
chemical, safety and community exposures related to a proposed 200
well natural gas project in a residential community in Western
Colorado.
• Recommendations for project modifications were provided as a means for
reducing exposures before they occur. The goal is to prevent health
effects rather than respond to them.
Environmental and Health Monitoring Study, Final Designs, Dec. 2011
– 5 study designs aimed at filling scientific information gaps identified in
the HIA.
• Three designs focus on characterizing chemicals emitted in to the air at all
stages of natural gas development and production, and developing
emission factors and models of dispersion as well as ongoing monitoring
of air, water and soil.
• Two designs focus on monitoring physical, psychosocial and community
health in people living in areas of natural gas development.
Proposed Research
Natural Gas Well Completion Emission Profiles in
Garfield County, Colorado
– Grant proposal submitted to the EPA May, 2011
– Based on two of the study designs looking at air
emissions, mentioned above. Although scored favorably, it
was withdrawn by CDPHE due to inability to negotiate
sites for sampling.
Adverse Birth Outcomes and Natural Gas Development
– Grant proposal submitted to the NIH (Environmental
Sciences Division) October, 2011.
– Will evaluate the association between birth defects, low
birth weight and prematurity and proximity to natural gas
wells.
Publications
•
Potential Exposure-Related Human Health Effects of Oil and Gas Development:
A White Paper, 2008.
– A preliminary review of possible chemical exposures and health effects of natural
gas development.
•
Potential Exposure-Related Human Health Effects of Oil and Gas Development:
A Literature Review, 2008
– A review of the medical literature for chemicals potentially emitted by natural gas
development processes.
•
Human Health Risk Assessment of Air Emissions from Development of
Unconventional Natural Gas Resources; manuscript submitted for peer review
publication
– Describes the Health Risk Assessment conducted as part of the HIA.
•
Health Impact Assessment: Promoting Public Health through Stakeholder
Engagement in a Community Facing Natural Gas Development; manuscript
submitted for peer review publication
– Describes the HIA process and results as a tool to promote public health.
Conference
• Mountain and Plains Education and Research Center
Energy Summit:
Promoting Occupational Health: Recognizing and
Controlling Risks during Natural Gas Development and
Production, April 12, 2012
– Will bring together researchers, engineers, industry
experts, occupational health and safety professionals
to discuss and share strategies for evaluating the
risks, solutions and research areas that will enable
natural gas exploration and production companies to
reduce potentially hazardous exposures to their
employees.
Researchers
•
•
•
•
•
•
Roxana Witter, MD, MSPH
John Adgate, PhD, MSPH
Lee Newman, MD, MS
Lisa McKenzie, PhD, MPH
Kaylan Stinson, MPH
Ken Scott, MPH
For more information contact
– Roxana Witter: roxana.witter@ucdenver.edu
Buechner Institute for
Governance
School of Public Affairs
Research Underway
The Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing and Shale Gas
Development on Local Governments
– With the National Association of Regional Councils
– Survey regional council members and local decision
makers from CO, WY, TX, OH, PA, NY, WV, and NC
• Identify key topics of concerns of different regional and
community types
• Describe the current corresponding policy solutions
– How do rural and urban policy approaches to managing hydraulic
fracturing and subsequent gas extraction compare?
– Does a state’s regulatory and tax structure influence the local
governments’ approach to and management of the industry?
– Provide a baseline report to guide future research focused
on improving regional outcomes of shale gas development
Researchers
• Dr. Brian Gerber, Associate Prof. & Exec. Director
• Samuel Gallaher, Ph.D. Student
• Jennifer Kagen, M.P.A. Student
For more information contact
– Brian Gerber: brian.gerber@ucdenver.edu
Center for Sustainable
Infrastructure Systems
College of Engineering & School of Public Affairs
Proposed Research
Measuring & Communicating the Environmental and
Economic Benefits/Costs of Natural Gas Production in
Colorado
Part I:
– Evaluate trade-offs between water use, energy efficiency,
carbon emissions, economic benefits/costs and public
health benefits/costs at natural gas production locations in
Colorado using production technology improvements (e.g.,
multi-well pads) and consumption locations (Colorado
households overall).
• Evaluate tradeoffs against other fuels and technologies both
conventional and next generation renewables
• Utilize expertise in Life Cycle Assessment, Carbon Footprinting and Water-Footprinting developed in CSIS NSF IGERT
grant (Research Underway)
Proposed Research
Measuring & Communicating the Environmental and
Economic Benefits/Costs of Natural Gas Production in
Colorado.
Part II:
– Share the metrics and analytic information developed in
Part I in a participatory dialogue with citizens, the gas
industry and policy actors
– Conduct outreach with the community on sustainability
planning by integrating energy, water, health and economic
development objectives and quantifying job creation and
business development
– Utilize participatory research model published in
Ramaswami et al. 2011 and tested in 4-5 Colorado cities
Publications
• Chavez, A.; Ramaswami, A. “Progress toward Low Carbon Cities:
Approaches for Trans-boundary GHG Emissions’ Footprint-ing.”
Carbon Management, 2(4):471-482, 2011
• Ramaswami, A.; Main, D.; Bernard, M.; Chavez, A.; Davis, A.;
Thomas, G.; Schnoor, K. “Planning for low-carbon communities in
US cities: a participatory process model between academic
institutions, local governments and communities in Colorado.”
Carbon Management, 2(4):397-411, 2011
• Hillman, T.; Ramaswami, A. “Greenhouse Gas Emission Footprints
and Energy Use Metrics for Eight US Cities”, Environmental Science
& Technology, 44: 1902-1910, 2010
Researchers
• Dr. Anu Ramaswami, Professor Environmental
Engineering & Director, CSIS
• Alice Madden, Wirth Chair in Sustainable Development
• Dr. Tanya Heikkila, Associate Professor, School of Public
Affairs
• Dr. Brian Gerber, Associate Professor & Director, BIG
• Dr. Debbi Main, Professor, Health & Behavioral Sciences
For more information contact:
– Anu Ramaswami: anu.ramaswami@ucdenver.edu
School of Public Affairs
Proposed Research
Studying the Political Context of US Shale Gas Development
Objectives:
– Identify the actors politically involved in US shale gas
development and their attributes (e.g., beliefs, networks)
– Examine actions and strategies used by coalitions to
influence policy.
– Identify factors conducive for learning.
– Identify areas of common ground and future likelihood of
policy change.
Proposed Research
Studying the Political Context of US Shale Gas Development
Approach
– Focus on three shale formations
– Interviews & surveys
– Narrative analysis of media
– Virtual network analysis
Researchers
• Dr. Tanya Heikkila, Associate Professor
– Contact: tanya.heikkila@ucdenver.edu
• Dr. Chris Weible, Associate Professor
– Contact: chris.weible@ucdenver.edu
Thank You